Judge Orders Release of Letters in Libby/CIA Leak Case

By: A federal judge said Thursday he will release more than 150 letters he received regarding next week?s sentencing of former White House aide I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby.

Libby, who was convicted in March of perjury and obstruction in the CIA leak case, had asked that the letters not be released. Attorneys for several news organizations argued that the law required the letters be made public.

"The court has received more than 150 sentencing letters in this case, some urging leniency for the defendant and some expressing opprobrium at the defendant?s actions and calling for the imposition of a substantial prison sentence," Walton wrote.

Libby was convicted of lying about his conversations with reporters about former CIA officer Valerie Plame, whose secret position was revealed in a 2003 newspaper column. Libby was not the source for that story but a jury found that he made several false statements to leak investigators and obstructed the investigation.